NEW ORLEANS — The LSU basketball team puts its perfect 7-0 record on the line for the first time away from the Maravich Assembly Center as the Tigers play Alabama-Birmingham in the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic at the New Orleans Arena.
The Tigers and Blazers do battle at 6 p.m. CST in the second game of the doubleheader with Mississippi State, also undefeated, meeting Tulane at 3:30 p.m. Both games will be televised by Fox Sports Net (Cox Cable Channel 38 in Baton Rouge) and the radio broadcast of the LSU game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Network (Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge) and on the Internet at www.LSUsports.net. Tickets for the game are available at the New Orleans Arena on game day and on the Internet at www.ticketmaster.com.
This is the fifth straight year LSU has been the host team since this long-time event moved to the Arena and became a one-night double header with two SEC teams hosting other conferences. The SEC is 7-1 going into this year’s SEC-Conference USA showdown.
LSU is halfway through is Conference USA tour of four straight games having beaten Southern Mississippi and Tulane in the days prior to Christmas. In the last three games, LSU has held Utah, Southern Miss and Tulane by holding the teams to 51 points or less, the first time LSU has held three consecutive opponents that low and winning since the 1948-49 season.
The Tigers 7-0 start is the best since the 1999-2000 season and how far LSU carries the present streak will depend on the Tigers play away from Baton Rouge as LSU plays UAB in a neutral site game Saturday, then goes to Houston Dec. 30, to Centenary (Jan. 3) and opens SEC play at Arkansas (Jan. 6) before returning home to play Alabama on Jan. 10.
Antonio Hudson, who missed the Tulane game Tuesday with a sprained ankle, did a short workout on his own during the Tigers’ Christmas night practice, but practiced with the team on Friday and while still listed as questionable to play, could dress out for the contest depending on how his ankle responded to the full practice.
Darrel Mitchell moved into his position and made his second career start for the Tigers, equaling his career high with 19 points. Jaime Lloreda led the Tigers against Tulane with his fourth double double of the year with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
UAB is 6-2 on the year and the Blazers, coming off a win over Louisiana Tech on Tuesday, is coached by former long-time Arkansas assistant Mike Anderson, who took the Blazers to the NIT quarterfinals in his first year in Birmingham a year ago.
LSU practiced in Baton Rouge before going to New Orleans in the early afternoon for a lunch at a local establishment. The four teams gathered Friday night for a reception at the Superdome prior to attending the New Orleans Hornets game with the Atlanta Hawks in the Arena.